El Dorado library measure goes down; Stracener leads in judge race

By Kathryn Reed

Measure L, the El Dorado County library tax, never came close to the two-thirds it needed to pass. The no votes had close to that amount with 63.5 percent. That’s with 45.2 percent of the precincts reporting Wednesday morning.

The purpose of the measure was to make funding of the countywide system the same throughout the county.

The 4th Congressional District that covers the Lake Tahoe area is returning Republican Tom McClintock to Washington. He faced Democrat challenger Jack Uppal. With 85.8 percent of the vote, it’s McClintock with 61 percent to the 39 percent for Uppal.

Ted Gaines, who has a second home in Tahoe City, will continue to represent the Lake Tahoe Basin in the state Senate. He was beating Democrat Julie Griffith-Flatter with 64 percent of vote, with 91.4 percent of the votes counted.

Two Assembly members will represent El Dorado County. Beth Gaines, who has had the seat that encompasses Lake Tahoe, faced fellow Republican Andy Pugno to retain the West Slope in the 6th District. Gaines was trouncing Pugno with 69 percent of the vote after 92.3 percent of the precincts counted.

Tahoe, based on 87.7 percent of the precincts reporting, will have Republican Frank Bigelow in the 5th Assembly District. He leads fellow Republican Rico Oller with 52.8 percent of the vote.

In what was an extremely contentious race for who would be El Dorado County Superior Court judge, Warren “Curt” Stracener led all night and continued to into Wednesday morning with 52.29 percent of the vote with 45.2 percent of precincts tallied.

There was always going to be a new member on the Board of Supervisors. Richard Barb and Brian Keith Veerkamp are vying for Jack Sweeney’s seat. Sweeney was termed out. Veerkamp was leading with 55.63 percent after 70.8 percent of the precincts had been counted.